Interventional medical applications have seen a rapid growth in recent years. A variety of techniques and devices for minimally invasive therapies have become commonplace. Of particular note is the emergence of remote navigational systems that offer precise control and steering for medical device navigation. An example of such a system is the Niobe™ Magnetic Navigation System commercialized by Stereotaxis, Inc.
In such a system, the distal tip of the device is remotely actuated from an external User Interface. If the location of the device tip within the anatomy is known, the steering of the device as it is navigated through the anatomy can be automated. Commercially available localization systems such as the CARTO™ EP Navigation System manufactured by Biosense Webster, Inc. can accurately determine the three dimensional location and orientation of a medical device that is equipped with a location sensor. This system requires specialized equipment including a set of signal transmission coils, and also requires the medical device to be suitably equipped with a sensor. Other localization systems can localize devices with metal electrodes by sensing electric field gradients. However, incorporating such specialized sensors or electrodes is not always feasible with every medical device.
For instance, thin medical devices such as guide wires are quite small in diameter, and it is difficult to incorporate useful sensors at such small length scales. Fluoroscopic imaging is used as a standard imaging modality in the Catheterization Laboratory (Cath Lab) for interventional medical procedures. Given this standard practice, there is a need to have a localization method that can directly localize the medical device based on normally acquired Fluoroscopic (X-ray) images. The present invention addresses this need.